Dawn Watch

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

Dawn Watch is the story of a child and her father who make a night
crossing of Lake Superior in their sailboat. Narrated by the child,
whose task it is to keep watch for “ships and land and light and
logs,” the insignificance of their small boat in contrast with the
immensity of the lake is emphasized as she says, “I was alone on the
sea.”

Alone on deck she lets her imagination run wild. Pirate ships,
monsters, rocky islands, and wooden rowboats appear—even a sea serpent
with one green eye. Soon, “the sun begins to warm the edges of day”
and land appears on the horizon. The dawn watch is over.

Nicolas Debon’s impressive illustrations, from the very darkest hour
before dawn until the sky begins to glow pink with the coming of day,
capture the essence of the nighttime voyage perfectly and do much to
emphasize the lyrical quality of the text, which reads like poetry.
Apart from being a wonderful choice to read aloud,

connections to astronomy and father–daughter relationships can be
made. Highly recommended.